CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : CAYUCOS : $1-Million Blaze Hits Coastal Homes

A wind-fanned fire that erupted in a house under construction destroyed five other homes and damaged two more in the affluent beachside village of Cayucos near Morro Bay, authorities said. One man was slightly injured, and damage was estimated at more than $1 million. The fire prompted evacuation of about 100 people who were rousted from their sleep by police, San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies said. Cause of the fire, which took three hours to extinguish and caused a huge traffic jam on California 1, was under investigation. It began in a house under construction and 35-m.p.h. winds quickly spread the flames, California Department of Forestry Capt. Dave Gowan said.